September 17th, First Year

It had been harrowing, escaping the dangerous humans at the river. Jaku kept one ear on the bushes outside of her hastily assembled den, licking the blood from her wounds as she trembled within the confines of the warm but dry earth.

For days, one of the humans she had encountered at the river had been relentlessly stalking her. Following her. Hunting her down. One of them, the one she had attacked- the one with the Gabite- had given up pursuit. It had been the other one to follow. Jaku didn't know who- all of them looked the same to her: tall and lanky and sinister.

No amount of consulting Mesprit nor hiding her tracks had shaken loose her pursuer and it took all of Jaku's willpower not to give in and accept defeat. No matter where she seemed to go, the human followed with its pokémon in tow, intent on catching her.

Is this how wild pokémon feel when they avoid capture? Is this why people always have to weaken their health to catch wild pokémon? Because they get stressed and scared? Because I've never felt as stressed and terrified in my life! Jaku trembled, burying her tail flame in the earth as a branch snapped not too far away from her current hiding spot.

"He's here somewhere," Mesprit rasped at the back of Jaku's mind. "Tunnel away, quickly! The human is approaching!"

Jaku didn't think twice. She turned and hastily dug into the wall, panicking when a loud howl echoed into the woods.

"I can hear her!" came the voice of a pokémon; an excited voice. "Over there! By the rock pile!"

Earth sprayed around her hands as Jaku barricaded the entrance to the den and began feverishly tunneling, focusing on the feel of the warm earth shifting against her scales. The earth shook. Jaku hadn't made it far before flinching back as a set of monstrous talons exploded into her tunnel, moonlight spilling in.

"Shit!" She turned and dug deeper, something sharp thudding uselessly against her tail as she made another getaway. That was before the talons reappeared followed by an even sharper beak. "Shit, shit, shit!" Jaku lashed out, breaking off a chunk of the pokémon's beak in retaliation as she struggled to scramble away.

"You little-" the strange bird pokémon cursed, prying apart the walls of Jaku's tunnel. "You can't hide from me, master! Get back here! We just want to talk!"

"Lies. All lies."

"I know!" Jaku retorted in frustration. "Stop parroting quotes and actually help me here!" She emerged from the cliff and took off running, her gut plummeting as light footsteps exploded out of undergrowth hot on her trail. Heavy panting and a low whine sounded just behind her, thrown off as Jaku switched up her footwork and turned on a dime, leaping nimbly over a low-hanging branch.

"You can't throw me off!" came the cocky voice of one of the man's pokémon. "She heard its pawsteps sound not even a heartbeat after her own. Felt the creature's steps mimic hers so perfectly that she was sure it was almost right on top of her. "C'mon master! the creature panted. "Give up! We're trying to help you! Stop running already!"

"As if!" Jaku came to a screeching stop, dropping low into the earth. The man's pokémon soared over her, tumbling over its paws as it crashed into a tree. Jaku took advantage of the situation and doubled away, crashing through a bramble bush and toward flowing water. She knew she could swim; she doubted her pursuers could.

Her hopes were immediately dashed as a new, much larger pokémon leapt past her and sent her to the ground with a hefty pawswipe, a set of talons catching her across the shoulder as was knocked aside.

"We found her! We found her!" The voice of the bird pokémon echoed loud and far as it stalked closer. The voice of the human hummed from afar, growing louder and louder.

Jaku shakily scrambled to her feet, wincing at a new wound- a cut in her leg- as she backed away from the bird pokémon who had spread out its wide wings. Jaku blinked. Feathery wings? A brown-and-white body? "...Raptor?"

The bird pokémon immediately ceased its predatory behavior. "Yes! Finally! You recognize me!" It lowered its head, licking away the dripping blood on its face. "Can you please calm down, master? Really, we're just trying to-"

Jaku braced and exhaled as much fire as she could, clearly illuminating the forms of her attackers and more importantly, the man astride the large dog-pokémon's back. She could now recognize all of them. A human- Emmet- riding atop Lilith. Raptor, who had fled back to Emmet's side. And strangely, a black-furred fox-pokémon that Jaku didn't recognize.

Emmet spoke with his distorted voice almost as if mocking her. Low hums. High trembles. He dismounted Lilith, approaching with his arms outstretched, a black pokéball visible in his right hand. He waved her forward, almost as though he were actively taunting her, begging her to make the first move.

I should be able to understand him… so then why can't I? She quickly chalked it up to her new body. Maybe her mind worked a little differently now, but she could still recognize the man across from her as a threat and so too the members of her team. Great. Just fucking great. Fucking fantastic!

"You shouldn't stand against him," Mesprit's voice nagged. "He's here to capture you. He has a full team and more. You don't. You're acting alone here... What are you going to do if you lose?"

"I won't," Jaku retorted under her breath, readying herself for a battle. "I can't afford to be captured here." She leapt across the scorched field, her claws splayed to grip the earth, sighting a potential escape route where Lilith would have trouble breaching; a group of tightly clustered trees. She'd been a second too slow.

Emmet quickly stepped into her way, kicking up any loose sand and dirt into her face as he readied the pokéball in his hands.

You fucking bastard. "Fine!" Jaku hissed, shaking the grit from her face. "If you want a fight, you've got one!" Jaku dug into the undergrowth and with a deftness from practicing the move in time rifts, tossed a ball of ignited timber and debris straight toward Emmet. In a flash, large stones erupted from the ground and stopped the catapulted fireball only a pace short of its target. The move still had its intended effect. Almost immediately, wild flames began to lick through the tall grass, encircling Emmet within a dense cage of fire and smoke.

"Going somewhere?" Raptor effortlessly leaped over the fiery wall, splaying its feathers as it ducked low, talons sank into the earth.

Emmet shouted and readied the pokéball in his hand again. He tensed and instead made a strange motion with his arms, pointing one finger at her. The fox-pokémon swept past Emmet, drawing so close in a matter of seconds that Jaku stepped back so as to not get trampled. It quivered when it saw her, its long ears sticking flat to its neck as its lithe body trembled.

"Happy to see me, eh?" it drawled. The pokémon before her was tall and lean-muscled, its matted black fur sleek in the light of the flames as it stared down at her with its icy blue eyes. It called for her again, its voice softening as it gently approached. "Master, it's me! You remember me, don't you?" it chuckled. "I'm the favorite!"

"Says you," Lilith huffed a few paces away, staring concertedly at Jaku. "Don't believe a word he says. I came first," it boasted proudly. "You do remember us, don't you master?"

Jaku bristled. "Oh, I know you two alright. But I never thought you would turn against me!" She moved forward at the same pace as the black pokémon, dipping low to duck under its belly before lunging at Emmet again. That attack connected as her claws sliced through his outstretched arm. Warm blood settled into the webs around Jaku's fingers. She dug in, using her other hand to grab into his clothes. "See how you like being attacked!"

A horrible yell ripped through the clearing, beating out the sound of the roaring flames as Emmet struggled desperately to tear her off. Good. You're getting exactly what you deserve! Serves you right for trying to kill me in my sleep! Jaku clawed her way onto Emmet's back, preparing to claw at his eyes from behind. Jaku didn't want to kill him; that was reserved for a last resort if she were actually afraid of getting killed. All she really wanted to do was injure him to the point where he couldn't follow her anymore. Temporary blindness would have to do.

Claws bounced off of her back before a pair of paws wrapped around her neck and belly and pulled her loose. A leg struck her side the moment she had been pried off, sending her skittering across the clearing. More of her own pokémon began to group around Emmet, a handful forming a protective circle around him while the others slowly began to advance on her. Dusk was there. So too were Ghost, Peanut, Castor, and even Hydra. Jaku kept low to the ground, hissing as she backed away.

Raptor was in the lead, nonchalantly walking forward to confront her. "Back off, master." He stopped a pace short, raising one set of curved talons for her to see. In a gentle but firm voice, Raptor added. "I don't want to fight you. None of us do."

"You're lying!" Jaku spat, fury rising as her tail lashed behind her. "You really think I'd believe you when you've been chasing me for days on end?" The flames on her tail brightened, changing from a rusty red to a brilliant scarlet. "You're all traitors!"

"Chasing you?" Raptor cocked his large, thin-furred head, eyeing her as though had uttered something nonsensical. "Of course we are! We're chasing you because we're worried about you, you big idiot." Raptor padded closer, tucking his wings to his chest. "You're bleeding and dirty and… gross, if I'm being honest." It leveled its head with her own, its dark eyes glittering. "Look, we just want our trainer back. That's you in case you couldn't tell."

Before Jaku could retort for the overgrown bird to can it, the black pokémon from before edged past it. "C'mon master. Relax," it rumbled. "We mean no harm, honestly!" It then rolled over onto its back, exposing its belly. "See? We just want to talk. Tell her, Oss."

"Jester's telling the truth."

"Mister Emmet is just trying to catch you so that he can help you," Jester continued, turning back over onto its belly. "It sounds scary, I know, but believe us."

"Why should I?" Jaku challenged. Mesprit's cautious voice was only a second away from popping up in her mind, refusing to let Jaku relax for even a moment. She trained her wary gaze on Emmet's form who was huddling back against Lilith's body, furiously applying what looked to be bandages on his arm.

"Because we're your friends!" Jester replied amiably, its face stretched in a grin. "If you come with us, we'll take you back to safety and get you healed up in no time!"

"Some kind of friend it is; it turns its back on you when you're injured and works to help capture you when it's at some other trainer's mercy. Don't believe a word that the creature says."

Jaku did not recognize the Zoroark across from her but a shiver of apprehension rippled down her spine as she realized that it was beginning to copy her movements step-for-step. If she tried to leap, it would bar the way. If she tried to crawl around it, it would close in on her. It almost seemed to predict which moves she would use, almost always performing a perfect dodge before parrying. The creature was strong. Very strong. Strong enough that Jaku had to reconsider fleeing.

"Ah, so now you're listening to me. A wise decision. Flee while you still can," Mesprit advised. "Don't forget. Emmet has your old team which may be stronger than even this Zoroark."

You have a good point. Better to flee considering that Lilith hasn't been sent forward just yet. Not to mention the fact that Emmet is… busy. Jaku breathed in and exhaled a great plume of smoke into Jester and Raptor's face: a direct hit. Jaku kicked up a cloud of dust as she leaped over another of flames only to be stopped as Jester caught her in the chest and sent her straight onto her back.

"Is it play time already?" it mocked, jabbing her in the belly with its paw. "C'mon, master. We don't have to fight," Jester urged. "We can talk about things like… civil pokémon." Jester approached closer, curtaining her off from Emmet once more as Raptor closed in on her other side. "We don't want to fight you- we just want to talk. Give us a chance. Please?"

"More petty words. Emmet must have them well-trained if they can dream up such a convincing lie."

"If you're with him, you're against me," Jaku growled. "That's all that matters-"

Jester dropped it's happy-go-lucky attitude at once, its eyes narrowing as it came up before her, obscuring her form in its shadow. "Why do you think he's against you so much?"

"Because he nearly killed me!" Jaku exploded. "Of course! Of course, you would try to lie to me! You went with him after his little attempt on my life a week or so ago!"

Jester bristled, his expression twisting into one of dismay. "I would never try to hurt you! Never! And Emmet didn't try to kill you!" Zoroark balked, sneering. "We went with him because you were in a coma! You got hurt! Badly!"

"By Emmet!"

"That's not really the case," Raptor interjected, prying past Jester. "Forgive Jester. He and I only recently made it back to you after… certain events." It turned its beak to the side before eyeing Jaku again. "But Mister Emmet was busy fighting that huge, strange Lilligant a few weeks we got to that village, you were already gone. We were kind of hoping that you would know who attacked you."

"Anyone can make alibis. Don't believe them. Keep trying to flee and hurry. Emmet has recovered from your blow and he still seeks to capture you."

Jaku quickly got her head about her and backed away. "It was Emmet," Jaku insisted. "Since you refuse to believe me, then I refuse to believe you."

"Something's not right with you," Jester growled, matching her stance again. "You can't intimidate me! I'm your best partner for dragons' sake! I don't know what happened to you, but we weren't there!" Jester then blinked, pricking its ears. "That's a good one, Mister Emmet!" it called over its back. "Didn't think about that before. Here. There's an easier way to do this. Hold on, master."

"Wha-"

Jaku had blinked and suddenly, Jester was far closer than he ought to have been, his blue eyes glittering as he stared down at her. The forest blaze around them had dissipated, replaced instead by a calm mountain clearing shaded in sagebrush and mesquite trees. Its ears perked up. He glanced back at her and then at a cloud's shadow far in the distance.

"This is either a diversion or a distraction. Break free!"

"Did you just transport me?" Jaku hissed, backing away from the large fox pokémon.

"You are in immediate danger!" Mesprit called out to her. Jaku could feel its presence stirring feverishly at the back of her head. "You need to attack the Zoroark and escape!"

"Something is not right here!" Jester's tone was fearful. Confused. He turned himself in a circle around her, his nose twitching. "Is somebody else here? Where's that weird voice coming from?"

Jaku attempted to pinch herself back into reality only to stare at her hands with futility when nothing changed. She put away her claws. "That's Mesprit. And I asked you a question-"

"That is not Mesprit, whatever it is." The fox pokémon peered down at her. "Just don't listen to it- listen to me instead. I'm your friend, remember?" It paused. "No… no I guess you really don't remember me." Jester then stood to his full height. "No matter! You may not remember me but I'm still your friend! So is Lil & Oss. You nicknamed me Jester." The Zoroark then held out a large paw for her to take, his fanged teeth bared in a friendly smile. Jaku did not take it.

"Let me out of this illusion," she demanded. "If you're really my friend and my pokémon, you'll do as I say."

"You didn't raise us to obey you like that," Jester countered smartly. "We have minds of our own, you know. And I can't let you out of this illusion until I can figure out what's wrong with you." At Jaku's growing hostility, Jester backtracked even more. "You're not acting like yourself."

"What? You think just because you said that Emmet didn't do anything just means I'm going to believe you? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Not stupid enough to just jump to conclusions. Who told you that Emmet killed you?"

"Mesprit."

Jester snorted disbelievingly. "In the flesh?"

Jaku paused, the scales along her spine beginning to bristle with indignation. "They spoke to me through my mind like they've been doing ever since I woke up from being hospitalized!" Jaku knew well that Mesprit hadn't appeared to her in a fully fleshed form since she had woken up. "It's Mesprit-"

"It's not," Jester immediately argued, licking a forepaw leisurely.

"How can you be sure?" Jaku countered. "You decided to just work with Emmet and to my recollection, the man is literally trying to kill me. Who else would attack me while I was comatose?"

"Not Emmet. I was with him before you even got attacked. All of us were. I already said that." Jester took a seat on some dusty rocks, adjusting the fluffy mane on his back as he laid his head on his paws. "I think you're confused. Do you remember what happened after you got injured?"

He's trying to be civil. A part of Jaku screamed at the lack of action, the part that was still stuck on the taste of Emmet's in her mouth. Another part reasoned for her to listen. And I can't break out of here unless I work with this great brute.

"Last thing I remember was being gutted by an alpha Goodra," Jaku grunted. "Emmet somehow managed to break into the mystery dungeon I was in. I fainted after Mesprit showed up. That's it."

Jester shuddered. "Then you missed out on a lot while you were gone. According to Lilith, Emmet was the one that got you back to Jubilife in the first place. I wasn't there for that, but why would he do all that if he was just gonna turn you into a pincushion later on?"

"…He brought me back to Jubilife?"

"Well yeah. How did you think you ended up there? There's more behind it, but you'd have to ask Lil or Oss to tell you." Jester then rolled onto its back, its tongue lolling out of his mouth. "And Mister Emmet? He's been really nice to us! He takes care of us, feeds us; hell, do you think Lil or Oss would just put up with him if he planned on hurting you? I could've torn him apart fifty different ways from Sunday, master! Give us a little more faith, would ya?"

Jaku faltered. Jester was picking out a bunch of points in her logic. If that had been the case, why would Emmet have made an attempt on her life? Emmet couldn't use the gears and from what she herself had told him in the past, nobody except her would be able to use them. There was the fact that she had kidnapped him but… She shook her head. She didn't think kidnapping would be a justifiable reason for murder.

"See? That's the kind of logic I like to see!" Jester cheered.

"What?"

"You're thinkin'! Uh, maybe you've forgotten but we Zoroarks are really good at reading minds."

"…Well, that's not mildly alarming at all," Jaku responded sarcastically. "So? Are you satisfied? Can I break out of here now?"

"Not yet," Jester hummed. "Just- you know- you don't think it's weird that you're suddenly a pokémon now? You're just gonna gloss over that?" Jester pawed at her side, grinning. "I mean, it's nice that we can have an actual conversation now, but I'd rather talk to you when you're not- you know- actively going crazy."

"I am not going crazy," Jaku protested.

Jester raised an eyebrow. "There's something talking to you inside your head and instead of being rational and wondering where it came from, you just seem to listen to it like it's no big deal. You didn't even question whether it was the real Mesprit. What's up with that? And before you talk, no, it is not Mesprit that's talking to you like some meddling ghost-type pokémon."

"How would you know?"

"Mesprit is a deity," Jester emphasized as though he were speaking to a Zorua cub. "A legendary pokémon. Mesprit wouldn't stir up lies and tell you to do dangerous things like attack me! And why would Mesprit be talking to you anyway? Don't you think they have better things to do than sit on your shoulder all day and talk into your ear?"

Jaku sat down heavily. That was a good question. Why would Mesprit be interjecting itself into her life? Maybe it was a bit peeved at her taking the Time Gear? Jaku paused. The deity's voice, which had until that point been a constant nagging sense in the back of her head, had all but quieted. "… So if it's not Mesprit, what is it?"

"I don't know," Jester muttered. "I don't know what it is, but just drowning it out is exhausting. I think it's some sort of ghost, but I don't know what attacked you. That could have something to do with it." After a moment, Jester moved closer to where they were mere inches apart. "Master? Can you promise me something?"

"…Depends. And stop calling me 'master'."

"I'm gonna keep doing it just because it irritates you," Jester teased. He then resumed his serious facade. "I'll have to end this illusion soon and when I do, the voices will kick back in. Promise me that no matter what it tells you, you'll keep trusting me and the others. Lilith? Raptor? Mr. Emmet too. I don't know what it is, but maybe if I can ask the right questions to Mr. Emmet, he'll know how to help you."

"And you're sure that he didn't hurt me?"

"Absolutely sure!" Jester responded without missing a beat. "He's been nothing but nice and understanding to me and the others! We chose to go with him! Remember that! And as a matter of fact, nobody knows what happened so we're all in the dark here. When you're less confused, we might be able to figure it out. Maybe if I get a certain berry, it might help?"

"It might."

"So you trust me?"

"Don't push it," Jaku warned the fox with an extended claw. "Geez, when did I raise my supposed partners to be such pacifists?"

Jester grinned. "You didn't. You raised us to use our heads before our teeth and claws. But hey! We're all okay in the end! Well, maybe except the 'you being injured' part, but we'll get behind that eventually." Jester then exhaled and stood, its eyes glowing scarlet as it faced her, its mane-tail wagging. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to push it, master. You need to rest and think about what I've said. It's for your own good. I hope you can forgive me."

Something heavy collided with the back of Jaku's head, the impact sending her forward into the mud. The sound of crackling flames sprung to life in her ears. A warmth spread throughout her body like being wrapped in a thick blanket. I'm being captured again, aren't I? The blazing forest fire around her darkened as though something was holding a veil over her eyes. She was inside of a pokéball. Impossibly small and compact. Surrounded. She gave an experimental tap on the inner shell. The pokéball rocked once.

"Break free!" Mesprit's voice called. "This is all a trap! They want to deceive you! Don't let yourself be fooled!"

But Jaku held still. "I… I can always break free," she murmured. She twisted around, viewing the muted environment around the pokéball with both abrupt fascination and slight claustrophobia. Didn't Excadrill break free of his own pokéball? It won't be forever… will it? The pokéball rocked a second time.

"They wish to hurt you! I have told you before, foolish champion! Do not let yourself be caught!"

Jaku felt her body weigh her down, her wounds stinging and her ears ringing. Every bone in her body ached. Every last part of her felt cold and sore and overstimulated. "...I'm too tired to fight back anymore." Jaku settled on her side and curled up in a ball, feeling oddly comfortable with the growing darkness that edged in alongside her. Do I trust Jester? Do I trust Emmet? Do I believe either of them for that matter? A worming sense of apprehension and cowardice prickled at her gut. I don't think I do… But I need to think for a moment. A long, long moment.

The pokéball rocked for a third time and finally grew still. As Jaku began to fall into an uneasy sleep, sparks flew from the top of the capsule and things began to move once more.

September 18th, First Year

"Can you… repeat that… again?"

Across from him, Ingo sat with a slouch, his weathered hands clasped together. "It would seem that these two incidents are connected to one another. Your initial theory about us having a human attacker would seem to be regrettably correct."

Hours. It had only been hours since Emmet had returned back to Jubilife and now he sat across from his bed bound brother; his bed bound brother that had been dragged back to Jubilife by a heavily dented Chandelure smelling of sea salt and sunbleached kelp with his clothes shredded and a worryingly large puncture hole in his kimono. "Someone attacked you," Emmet stated, his voice wavering with barely-concealed frustration.

"I did not see who," Ingo added. He didn't look at Emmet. He instead stared at the window, his eyes both staring and sightless. "It happened far too quickly to see anything. All I managed to catch was a flash of pale hair."

Emmet grimaced, balling his fists in his lap. There were a lot of people who had pale hair in Jubilife. A lot of people who had pale hair in the clans. "Nothing besides that?"

"Nothing."

Emmet hated seeing his brother like this. Injured. Scared, even if Ingo wouldn't admit it. Tense. "Are you… are you okay?" he asked softly.

"No, but I will be. I have to be. I have responsibilities-"

"Cut that out." Emmet grasped the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. What else could go wrong? What else could impede the tracks? What other significant disturbance would slow him on his tracks to get back to his and Ingo's home station? Almost everything, his intrusive thoughts led in. Emmet sighed.

"I presume you caught them."

Emmet started forward. "What?"

"Miss Jaku? I presume you have coupled with them. Their tracker on my Xtransceiver had finally managed to appear only a few hours ago. And it shows that their dot is now aligned precisely with yours."

"That is… complicated." Emmet wouldn't roll down his sleeve and expose his heavily bandaged arm. The wounds still burned. To his chagrin, proper disinfectants were rare in Hisui and hadn't yet been discovered properly. He had yet to see Nurse Peselle either. Emmet would worry a lot more about the imminent infection if not for the fact that his brother's reputation warranted a shipment of disinfectants from the Ginkgo Guild, free of charge. "I have them, but she is… Burr is in great need of repair."

Emmet carefully reached for the Leaden Ball that weighed heavily on his makeshift rope pokéball belt. Burr hadn't moved since she had been caught; since her Zoroark had tricked her into being caught. Emmet wouldn't admit it, but his opinion on Zoroarks as a general had shifted a notch higher after it had so easily taken the lead. Any later and Emmet had the feeling he would've come out with a few worse things than arm lacerations.

"You've managed to derail and capture them?" Ingo lauded, nodding his head. "Fascinating."

"I wouldn't say derail," Emmet muttered. "Something is verrry wrong with them. They fought their own team. I believe they were affected by some kind of status affliction" He left out the part where he himself had been lunged at.

"Did Burr win?"

That got Emmet to chuckle. "Obviously not," he deadpanned, pointing at the Leaden Ball at his wait.. "They became trapped in an illusion. Zoroark did all the work." At his side, the pokémon in question gave a proud huff before gently pulling the pokéball from Emmet's waist, cradling it in its large red claws. "Ingo. My theories."

"I did not forget, though… I am unsure who would be set on attacking-"

"How did you survive?" It was sudden, full of disbelief, stress, and panic. Emmet's mind was only a fraction of a second away from bursting like a sealed boiler. His brother- Ingo- had died. Technically? Physically? Somebody had intentionally lured him out and attacked him and had sloppily attempted to impersonate Emmet via a letter. "If you knew that it was not me, why did you go?"

At that, Ingo sheepishly ran a hand through his hair, again not meeting Emmet's eyes. "I was hoping that I might get a visual on the culprit. I was wrong. I assumed that I would be able to catch them and put an end to their charades… I apologize for worrying you."

"I will need a better apology than that."

"Your mockery will not inspire more guilt, Emmet. I am alive… somehow." Ingo then turned and stared at the repaired infirmary window which had been shattered not even two weeks prior. "I would presume I survived through the same forces that kept our unconscious friend alive. Have you managed to get anything out of them yet?"

"No... No, they have been decommissioned since I captured them." Emmet carefully took the pokéball from the Zoroark and with a hint of hesitation, lifted the metal latch. A flash of teal light lit up the room. That was different. Pokéballs did not emit teal light; only red light. He dwelled on that thought for only a moment before letting his eyes fall to the subject at hand. "Does that answer your question?"

Ingo sat forward, gingerly reaching toward the huddled shape at the foot of his bed. "This is… Miss Jaku?" he croaked. He tapped one finger against the spiky length of her spine, quietly pointing out the multitudes of old and new scars littered along her wrists, legs, and throat. Blood was caked into the webs of their fingers. Stained along their throat and wrists and belly. Very old blood, as if Burr hadn't had the proper chance to wash herself yet. But the horrible slicing scars across Burr's throat, wrists, and calves were both obvious and ugly. They matched Ingo's almost to a 't' despite Jaku being smaller. "...They match," Ingo muttered.

"Affirmative."

Burr did not move nor did she stir, the faint rusty flame at her tail tip flickering as though the ranger was seconds away from dying. The Zoroark carefully lifted its trainer up and off the bed, protectively stowing them away in their large mane. Seemingly content, they curled up around Emmet's feet. And then they sneezed.

Claws clicked on the hardwood floors. A weak reddish light began to burn brighter inside the Zoroark's mane. A large webbed paw emerged, five shattered black claws scrabbling for purchase as the owner pulled itself free of its hairy prison. The pokémon in question coughed, turning this way and that before focusing on what it was standing on.

Emmet cleared his throat. "You are awake." He instinctively recoiled as the child-sized lizard turned to gawk at him.

Burr then scrambled back, a hoarse hiss filling the room as she quickly moved away from him. She then paused, glancing first at Ingo and then at Emmet, confusion clear as day in her eyes. But this time, she did not attack. Rather, she kept close to her Zoroark's side, eyeing them warily like hiding prey.

"She cannot understand us, I think," Emmet elaborated. "She can understand her Zoroark who will be translating what we say. A minor inconvenience at best."

"Why is she still a pokémon?"

"That is unknown. Zoroark?" The black fox pokémon dipped its head toward its trainer. After a moment, it gave a visible shrug, putting one paw over its eyes and another over its ears.

"They don't know?" Emmet guessed.

The zoroark nodded.

"Hmm. Do they have any ideas on who the culprit could be?" Ingo asked.

A pause. Another shrug.

"That does not help us very much," Emmet grimaced. "Do they know how to turn back into a human? How they became a pokémon in the first place?"

This time, the pause was much longer. The two pokémon 'talked' back-and-forth in a manner of unknown expressions and sounds before finally, the Zoroark turned back to Emmet. It gently nosed around in his pocket before pulling loose an errant time gear. It presented the object to its trainer which began to trace large circles in the floor with their index claw.

"More time nonsense. Of course." Emmet peered closer. "A… circle? A… circumference? A perimeter?" Emmet blinked. "A distortion. But no distortion opened up over Jubilife Village which means that- "

"In order to switch back, our passenger must make haste to the nearest distortion," Ingo finished for him. "Distortions do not have a timely schedule. But perhaps, there is one distortion that may help."

Emmet grimaced. "I know which one. I can take them, but I do not want to leave you alone; especially not after today. If Burr was attacked here, then so can you. I do want to return and find you…" Dead. Deceased. That was the word Emmet was looking for but his mouth refused to form the word again.

"That's why I'm here!"

Emmet flinched as a familiar face waltzed into the room, taking a seat in a stiff-looking wooden chair at Ingo's beside. Zisu playfully cuffed Ingo across the shoulder but her frazzled hair and dusty clothes suggested that Zisu was doing anything but taking their current situation laxly.

"Zisu," Emmet nodded.

"That's me! Ingo told me what was going on."

"Beee careful," Emmet warned. "That one bites." And as if to emphasize Emmet's point, Burr bared her teeth as the imposing woman who had reached out to pet the lizard.

"With teeth like those, I'd be surprised if she didn't!" Zisu then paused, taking one good look at Burr who had immediately hid behind her Zoroark upon Ingo and Emmet pointing out the matching wound on her body. " I had a hunch that something was amiss, but now my suspicions are confirmed. Not to worry! There will be a guard around him around the clock. There's at least two standing outside your door right now, warden."

"Ah? I did not notice them. Thank you, Zisu."

Emmet felt a twinge of jealousy worm itself into his chest. He took a deep breath. Ingo was grown and so was he. His brother had postured the possible protection of a larger power- possibly by Dialga or Palkia or maybe even Arceus if the all-creator was a part of this train wreck. Emmet had to take a step back. His brother was injured and his frenemy was stuck as a pokémon. He certainly had his work cut out for him.

He excused himself from the room, noticing with mild irritation that the two pokémon bound to him were now following along slightly behind him. It helped that Burr wasn't actively trying to tear him to shreds anymore and that her pokémon were readily assisting him without question. If he called upon the Mandibuzz, he might be able to switch Burr back by day's end.

Emmet knew his next task; escort Burr to Lake Verity, change them back to a human, and then verbally berate them for being a dangerous conniving idiot. Oh, and then scalp them for information regarding his brother's attacker. That would certainly help.